Series: The Circle of Monsters Series by Sam Crescent
Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
The waiter brought a couple glasses of water and menus while Galen was in the bathroom. Hopefully he hadn’t ditched her here. He was taking longer than expected, but he’d been coiled tight when he rushed off. Why did he have to fight their attraction? It wasn’t fair.
Skye focused on the waves in the distance and breathed in the fresh ocean air. This could be the perfect date. That’s when she noticed someone staring at her. She immediately stiffened up, feeling awkward. There were two guys at a table at the other end of the patio. Why was one staring at her? The other man turned to look at her briefly. She vaguely recognized one of them but wasn’t sure from where.
Maybe they just thought she’d been stood up. She probably looked like a spectacle sitting there all alone surrounded mostly by happy couples. When she glanced over again, the dreadful wash of realization stole her breath. It was one of Petrov’s bodyguards. She’d never spoken with any of them, just passed them in the hallways or saw them when they’d open a car door for their boss and his kids.
Panic set in. He obviously recognized her. What did it mean?
Galen said her old boss wanted her dead. She was the witness he paid to snuff out, but instead she was sitting on the same patio about to order lunch. Would they do something stupid with such a large public crowd? No. The thought calmed her to a degree, but this still wasn’t good. And where was Galen? If he disappeared now, those goons would follow her out of the restaurant and kill her as soon as they could.
She began tapping her foot nervously, constantly checking the hallway in search of Galen. Skye was going to take a sip of water to try and appear normal, but her hand was shaking too much. Where are you, Galen?
Time seemed to stand still. Maybe they didn’t know Petrov wanted her dead. Not everyone on his payroll knew his private business. She certainly never knew about the crimes he was responsible for before witnessing him murder two people.
She couldn’t take it any longer. Galen wasn’t coming back. This was probably his gift to her—ridding her of a potential criminal boyfriend and setting her free at the same time. That wasn’t what she wanted, though. The thought of never seeing Galen again made her feel physically ill, and she equally panicked from the fear he’d really abandoned her and she’d be killed by one of those men.
After she couldn’t wait another minute, she stood up and adjusted her dress before heading in the direction of the public washrooms. She was too terrified to look behind her to see if they were following, plus she wanted to appear unaffected and not draw attention to herself.
There was no sign of Galen. She stepped into the men’s bathroom and whispered his name. She continued, slowly raising the volume of her whispered plea. The room was definitely empty. He’d left her.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Nothing else mattered anymore. She had nothing and no one. The one man she began to feel something for had just walked off after admitting they could have been great together in another life. But this life was all they had.
She completely forgot about the danger she was in when a heavy hand came down on her shoulder. Skye yelped and whirled around, almost falling to the tiled floor. He reached out and saved her before she hit the ground.
“This is the men’s bathroom. The women’s is just down the hall,” he said.
Skye exhaled all the built-up fear and felt like putty in Galen’s strong arms.
“I thought you’d left me,” she said.
“I considered it.”
“Really?”
He ignored her, shifting the topic. “Why are you in here exactly?”
Then she remembered the bodyguards. “I think someone recognized me out there.”
“Who?”
She bit her lip. “One of Petrov’s bodyguards.”
His brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”
Skye nodded. “He kept staring in my direction. I was freaking out and didn’t know what to do.”
He stood straighter, pulling her close. “Show me,” he said, leading her back toward the patio area. The table was empty and her heart sank.
“Oh God, they’re gone. Is that good or bad?” she asked.
“In our case, likely bad.”
“Should we leave?”
“Probably. But I’m hungry. Come on.” He led her back to their little table, but she didn’t feel lighthearted like when they first came.
She was expecting danger to pop out around every corner. She’d never been so jumpy.
“Relax,” he said after sitting down across from her.
“How can you say that?” she asked.
He smirked and it melted her heart a little. “Because I’ll protect you.”
Skye tried to keep her voice down. “You’re giving me whiplash. One minute you’re planning my death, and the next you’re ready to protect me?”
“Things change,” he said.